Team based care strategy in PEI

2023-10-30

Dr. Christie Newton, President of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), and Dr. Kathleen Ross, President of the Canadian Medical Association, had a productive meeting with Dr. Laura O’Conner and her practice team at the Sherwood Patient's Medical Home (PMH) in Prince Edward Island. PEI’s PMH model of care is based on a vision developed and promoted by the CFPC, which emphasizes teamwork, collaboration, and patient-centered care. PMHs are gaining traction in PEI and are being supported on a systemic level by dedicated government funding.

The meeting included various health care professionals and administrators from the Sherwood PMH, who discussed their collaborative approach to patient care H.

Team Structure: The Sherwood PMH includes a diverse team of health care professionals supporting the family physician, such as a nurse practitioner, registered nurse, social worker, physiotherapist, pharmacist, and a licensed practical nurse. Each team member plays a crucial role in providing comprehensive care to patients.

Collaboration and Patient Flow: The Sherwood PMH team emphasized the importance of working together as a cohesive unit. Practice facilitators and weekly team meetings help them map out patient flow and quality improvement initiatives within the PMH. This collaborative approach enables each team member to work within their full scope of practice, which ultimately benefits the patients.

Building Trust: The team highlighted their efforts to build trust among themselves and with their patients. Patients are introduced to the appropriate team member to address their health concerns, which enhances the patient-provider relationship.

Electronic Medical Record (EMR): The team recognizes the significance of using a single EMR as a tool for collaboration. One EMR system allows team members to share information and coordinate patient care effectively. This makes sure patients receive the best care possible.

Expansion of the Model: Dr. Kathie McNally, Chief Medical Officer of Health PEI; Linda Beyer, Director of Primary Care and Chronic Disease Health PEI; and Carol Sellar, Manager, Primary Care Network (Queens West), Health PEI, were also in attendance. They shared that this model of care is expanding across PEI. Currently 14 PMH in PEI and more are planned for the coming year. The PEI government fully supports and endorses this model of care and is actively working on building a practice facilitation team to set up similar teams across the province.

Universal Access to PMH: The ultimate goal is to have every PEI resident connected to a PMH, making sure all Islanders have access to comprehensive and collaborative health care services.